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Baseball: Kelly drafted by Twins in 12th round

Red Wing native and Nebraska junior second baseman Pat Kelly (right) was selected in the 12th round (350th pick overall) of the MLB draft on Saturday by the Minnesota Twins. Kelly is a two-time first team All-Big Ten Conference selection. (R-E file photo)

The final day of the 2014 MLB Rule 4 Draft was a good one for Red Wing’s Pat Kelly. The University of Nebraska junior was selected in the 12th round (350th overall) by the Minnesota Twins.

“It was pretty cool,” Kelly said of seeing his name come up on MLB.com’s draft site. “We were watching on the computer and saw the Twins (had a pick) coming up, and we thought there was a chance. Then I saw they picked me and then the phone rang and it was (the Twins) on the phone. It was pretty awesome.”

Kelly still has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, so he does not have to sign a professional contract.

“We’ll see what happens in the next couple days,” Kelly said, adding that he expects to make a decision by Tuesday or Wednesday. “We’ll keep in touch with (the Twins) and see what happens.”

Kelly said is not leaning one way or the other right now, and that the weekend will be spent with family as the Cornhusker figures out his baseball future.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment right now, enjoying it with my family,” Kelly said.

Nebraska finished the season 41-21, falling 4-3 to Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA regional tournament.

“It was a good season for us,” Kelly said. “It’s not how we wanted to finish, but 40 wins and getting back in the NCAA tournament was good.”

Kelly had an inkling he’d be drafted on Saturday, he just wasn’t sure when the call would come.

“We knew there was a good chance it would happen early (Saturday), just not when or by whom,” Kelly said. “I was pretty excited to see it happen.”

Kelly, a second baseman, started all 62 games for Nebraska, batting .311 with 10 doubles, a triple and a team-high four home runs. In the field, Kelly had a .990 fielding percentage in 315 chances.

The deadline for amateur draft picks to sign a professional contract is July 18, three days after the All-Star game.

Kyle Stevens is a sports reporter for the Red Wing Republican Eagle. Previously, Kyle worked at the Owatonna People’s Press, as well as KWLM and KLFN in Willmar. You can contact Kyle by phone at (651) 301-7879, via e-mail at kstevens@republican-eagle.com, and follow him on Twitter @RE_KStevens.